China Becomes Coal Importer For The First Time Ever, As Deep Freeze Forces Rationing Across Several Provinces

China, a voracious consumer of coal, switched from being an exporter to importer of the stuff in 2009, fresh data from the government shows.

According to SeaTrade Asia Online, the company imported 89.11 million tonnes only through the first 11 months of the year, and that this number will be pushed much higher when December data is included.